Thursday, March 30, 2017

In 26 years of Mexico ministry, we have been majorly robbed 10 times. That
does not count the small stuff disappearing, that means 10 times where we’ve
been cleaned out. If you want to live or work in Mexico, be prepared to be
robbed. You CAN spend the money and turn your buildings into lock-boxes and
make it HARDER to break in… not impossible, but decreased break-ins. Clean-up
of a break-in takes a long time, and the loss of things you need to live day-to-day
can be difficult (as we can tell you…).
After two major 2016 San Vicente break-ins, we opted to have our local
metal-working friend Julio build and install metal window-bars and security
doors in our rented Ministry Center. Installation involved drilling into the
concrete walls and lot’s of welding, which took days to clean up. However, we
now have a ‘increased security’ building, which also increases the safety
factor for long-term stays. Besides, looking out a window thru metal bars can
help one identify with the Apostle Paul, a ‘prisoner of Christ’…!
We’re grateful to our American friends the Neely’s and their Eastlake Church
home-group for pulling together a ‘robbery recovery’ care package, replacing so
many day-to-day items… ¡Gracias!

Our friends tell us that if we’ve been regularly robbed, “well, that REALLY
makes you a Mexican!”… the cost of cultural initiation is high…

Chris here. For me, the launch of the blog ADORE
THE LORD is a dream come true.
Back in 2014, I heard the Lord speak as Lori and I were taking a dawn-patrol
flight across the country. Everyone was sleeping on the plane except me. Lori was
trying to grab a nap.
The Lord said to get paper and write down all the areas
regarding Worship that had been percolating in my thoughts of late.
I had just spent the last few years training worship leaders in Mexico,
worked with some major ‘worship-leader’ people on some projects (recordings,
gatherings, plans), was playing in occasional bands and events, and had been majorly
rooting around the Scriptures asking the question, “what is worship, REALLY?”
Between many of us involved in ‘modern worship’, there’s now an intense
conversation about the “what’s next?” Please (say we), not just some cool new tune.
There’s
some real apprehension among us worship-types: surely, something way different
is coming… right?
The flight was bumpy, and I didn’t want to disturb my sleeping neighbors, so
I looked in my backpack at my feet… ahhh! Didn’t pack any notebook on this
trip. Wait! Here’s a few scraps of paper with some space…
By the time we landed, an entire entity had been born, scribbled around the
edges and spaces, filling up every scrap. What is it? The spine of a book? A
course curriculum? A devotional? Art project? Topic guide for a school of
worship? A website?
I asked the Lord what to do with this ragamuffin parchment of ideas and
incendiary thoughts…? He said organize, study, expand, pray, wait, angst,
read broadly, study church history, pray, study root words, wait on Him, scour
the Scriptures, refine… with all the fruits of the Spirit, Grace and Mercy.
Oh, yeah. I was to gouge out everything I thought I knew about worship and
press into Him deep, then deeper, and then some.. new wine for old wine-skins!
Since 2014, this content has grown large.
Finally, Adore The Lord is a blog-web site,
free of charge. Yep, we’re giving it away… on our dime. All you have to do is
visit AdoreTheLord.blog, read away, comment and generate thoughtful discussion!
This Blog will wrestle with questions... What is worship and adoration of God? What do the Scriptures teach us, through teaching and example, about worship and adoration? What does that
means individually and corporately?
Oh, yes... and the 'What’s Next?' questions, and about getting from 'where we are now' to the What's Next..
I suspect that What’s Next is going to be… well, ‘from Glory to Glory’… Glorious... radically different...